Ca' dei Zago

1924\nCa' dei Zago was founded by the Zago family in the village of San Pietro di Barbozza, in the heart of Valdobbiadene.\n\n### 1970s\nChristian Zago's father designed the winery's label as a tribute to the family heritage. The design has remained unchanged since.\n\n### Present day\nThe winery is now run by Christian Zago and his sister Marika, representing the family's fifth generation. Christian added his and his sister's signatures to the original label to mark their generation's contribution.

The Zago vineyards lie in the hills of Veneto, in the village of San Pietro di Barbozza, in the heart of Valdobbiadene in northeastern Italy.

The Zago family has never used chemicals in its vineyards, relying only on cow manure and its own compost. Christian follows strict biodynamic principles, as his ancestors did. He holds that nature is stronger than people: disturbing the vineyard's balance through attempts at control cannot be undone in the winery, where at best only a temporary, fragile equilibrium can be achieved.

Christian uses concrete tanks or old chestnut vats for vinification. He takes a minimal-intervention approach to natural processes, following practices already used by his grandfather. Annual production is around 45,000 bottles.

Christian holds that keeping the soil healthy comes first, and that nature is stronger than people: if you upset the vineyard's balance by trying to control it, you cannot recreate that balance in the winery. He believes that at best, you can bring the wine to a temporary, fragile equilibrium that will not last. After a period of confusion balancing his ancestors' natural methods with the technical progress of his conventional education, he came to realize, while reading Nicolas Joly's book on agriculture and lunar cycles, that true happiness was on his own doorstep — a realization tied to a return to his family's traditional, natural approach.